


Remus Lupin and Lily Evans' Problems with the Universe

by bellasgonemissing



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 00:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19896625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellasgonemissing/pseuds/bellasgonemissing
Summary: Remus and Lily don't believe in soulmates despite what the marks on their hands might tell them, that is until Sirius and James enter the picture.





	Remus Lupin and Lily Evans' Problems with the Universe

**Author's Note:**

> a bit of fluff I wrote because I love soulmate AUs and these dorks  
> thank you to @mysteriousmemesociety on instagram for beta reading  
> hope you enjoy it !!

Remus Lupin was never going to find his soulmate. He was sure of this. Every morning, upon waking up, he tried not to look at the constellation that was part of the skin on the back of his hand because it would only serve to remind him of what wasn’t going to happen. He never lasted very long. Everyone else in his life had tried to convince that of course he was going to find the person who was apparently his soulmate, although he was still not convinced the whole idea of soulmate markings weren’t something made up by society to trick lonely teens into believing in the idea of true love. Lily Evans, the person who prevented him from feeling quite so lonely, was a big believer in the wrongs of society, a teen, and, up until this afternoon, had joined Remus in his devout stance against soulmates. This afternoon was when James entered the picture.

‘So where did you meet this guy again?’ Remus asked of Lily that Sunday, as she gazed out of his bedroom window, the picture of besotted.

‘After Marlene’s football training, once the boys’ teams started. Remus, I swear, it seriously was fate.’ Remus was surprised she didn’t have a hand to her forehead.

‘And what makes you so sure about this?’ Remus wasn’t all too pleased with the idea of his best friend suddenly buying into this whole fad.

‘I just knew okay? I just looked at him and my heart started jumping up and down in my chest and my hand started tingling, like it knew too.’

Remus rolled his eyes, from his position lying on his bed. ‘Your _hand_ knew?’

‘Yes. Look, I know it sounds stupid- ‘

‘Yeah, it sounds extremely stupid.’

‘Remus. Just listen.’ She traced the shape of the antlers in her skin, smiling to herself. ‘It was just; my whole body knew what was happening. Like a gut feeling times a thousand. And I didn’t think that was possible either but it’s impossible to understand unless you’ve really felt it. Suddenly all that stuff our parents and Marlene and Dorcas and Frank and Alice said about how it feels so right and you just know how well you fit with that person you’re looking at, it makes so much sense now.’

‘Okay, well I guess I just won’t ever understand it then.’ This was incredibly frustrating to Remus, was she hearing herself? How could she really believe this crap?

‘Remus, don’t be like that.’

‘Really?” He raised his eyebrows at her. ‘You’re gonna be like that too now?”

She sighed, sliding from her position on the window seat to the mattress next to Remus. ‘I only know what I felt, and that it felt super real to me, it sounds really freaking improbable but I think there’s gotta be at least some truth to it, I mean how could so many people have the same experience? How could _I_ have the same experience, if it wasn’t at least based on an ounce of truth?”

Remus groaned, dragging his hands over his face. ‘I don’t know Lily, are you sure?”

She threw a pillow at him, which he used as a convenient way to cover his face. ‘Yes, you loser, are you listening? That’s literally exactly what I’m saying.’

‘Hhmdfsdgnnn.’

‘Hmm, I didn’t quite get that.’

Remus threw the pillow away from himself, it landed dully on the carpet. ‘Okay well say for a second all this soulmate bullshit is real, it’s not like I’ll ever find mine. I mean seriously, what are the chances, there are like seven billion people in the world.’

‘Oh, stop being such a pessimist.’

‘But Lily. That’s my whole brand.’

\---

School the next day was like school every day, inescapable noise from the people around him that made it very difficult for Remus to get any work done, teachers that tried to be cool and ‘down with the kids’ but decidedly weren’t, evidenced by the fact that they used phrases like ‘down with the kids’, and assignments that Remus would really rather prefer not to be writing but was, as he was unfortunately not a procrastinator.

Lily met him by his locker as he was pulling his bag out, informing his friend Peter of the homework they were given in Legal Studies.

‘Okay, I talked to him.’

Remus turned from Peter, who was looking panicked as he searched through a pile of papers in his locker. ‘What? To who?’

‘James, Remus, c’mon, keep up.’ Lily always expected people to know exactly what she was talking about even if she hadn’t mentioned anything about it before.

‘’Wait, are you saying you didn’t talk to him yesterday?’

She looked confused. ‘No?”

‘Are you kidding? But you were spouting all that stuff about fate and ‘the one’ or whatever.’

She pulled at the straps of her bag. ‘Well yeah, I knew all that stuff, but it was just instinct, I hadn’t actually _said_ anything to him.’

‘Well why the heck not?”

‘Because he was busy, we were at football training remember? Anyway, the point is, I didn’t talk to him then but Marlene gave me his Instagram last night and I DM’d him.’ She smiled.

‘Okay, and what did you say?”

‘I said that when I saw him, I just felt this connection and when I told him what my symbol was, he said it made sense and he didn’t see me but if he had, he would have felt the same about me, cause his symbol is a lily.’ Her eyes were shining.

This all sounded like coincidence to Remus. Maybe Lily liked the guy but that didn’t mean they were _soulmates_ , just that she had a crush. ‘Oh. Well that’s pretty cool, are you going to meet him?’

‘I feel like you’re not taking this seriously. We’re meeting at 4:30 at Boyet’s Coffee.’

‘You’re right. I’m not.’ Remus was astonished that Lily was.

‘You’re just denying cold hard evidence now. Peter, what do you think?”

Peter, who was now stuffing crumpled papers into his bag, looked up. ‘You know I’ve always believed in soulmates, you know, like literally everyone else.’ He said pointedly to Remus. Remus always found it odd that Peter so adamantly believed in soulmates because he didn’t have a symbol himself, it had freaked him out for a long time, but he realised at the start of high school that a lot of people didn’t and it was likely he was aromantic. Having something to call it, made him feel better about himself.

‘Right, Peter agrees with me. _As well as literally everyone else_.’

‘Okay fine, go meet this guy and if you fall in love instantly, then maybe I’ll consider it.’

Lily rolled her eyes and turned her back on Remus and Peter, pushing open the door to the quad. ‘You suck.’

\---

remus.lpn, 7:49: so, how’d it go??

lilyy_evanns17, 8:09: I don’t want to talk about it

remus.lpn, 8:11: what? you’re so in love you can’t even bare to share it?

lily_evanns17, 8:23: no

remus.lpn, 8:23: then why???

lilyy_evanns17, 8:25: no reason

remus.lpn, 8:26: seriously? you couldn’t stop talking about him yesterday

lilyy_evanns17, 8:26: okay

lilyy_evanns17, 8:26: so maybe you were a little bit right

remus.lpn, 8:27: oh really?

remus.lpn, 8:27: so you didn’t like him??

lilyy_evanns17, 8:39: I mean, he was kind of a dick

lilyy_evans17, 8:39: before you say anything, I know

remus.lpn, 8:40: oh

remus.lpn, 8:40: I’m not gonna rub it in or anything, that sucks

remus.lpn, 8:41: so you didn’t get the same feelings when you were talking to him?

lilyy_evanns17, 8:45: no, I did, its just idk he really seemed like a dickhead

lilyy_evanns17, 8:45: anyway I’m too annoyed to talk about this now, I’ll tell you about it tomorrow

remus.lpn, 8:46: okay if you’re sure

Seen: 8:48

\---

Lily was already in homegroup when Remus arrived there the next morning, she slumped her head onto the desk when she saw him come in.

‘That bad huh?’ He said, slipping into the chair next to her.

‘Hnngg.’

‘Hmm, I didn’t quite get that.’

‘Ugh Remus, he was such an asshole.’ She clarified, raising her head from the table.

‘Okay, in what way?’ Peter entered as he said this, throwing his books onto the desk and dropping into the seat on Remus’ left.

‘What are we talking about?”

‘Lily’s date didn’t go well.’

‘Oh. But I thought you guys are soulmates?’ Neither Peter nor Remus had ever heard of a date with your soulmate going badly before. You were supposed to just click immediately and stay together for the rest of your lives.

‘Yeah well.’ Said Lily. ‘He was so arrogant, the whole time he was like ‘look at me, I’m so great at football, I have all these good looks and charm, I’m loved by everyone, I’m so amazing.’ I just wanted to slap him across the face and tell him to shut up.’

‘Knowing you, I’m surprised you didn’t.’

‘I seriously should have, I don’t know Remus, you’re probably right, I’m finding it pretty hard to believe that this guy is my soulmate.’

‘But you said you still felt the things you were feeling on Sunday?’ Remus pressed, secretly pleased that he had won the argument but not so much so that he would be a bad friend.

‘Yeah, that’s the worst part, my whole body was still like, lighting up, my heart felt like it was trying to push out of chest to get closer to him, my hand was tingling, all those classic things that they say happen when you’re around your soulmate but I seriously do not understand how this could possibly be the right guy.’

‘So you really can’t see yourself ever liking him at all?’ Remus said.

She sighed. ‘I mean… I guess it’s a possibility? Like a very, very slight possibility. But loving him? I don’t know.’

‘What are you gonna do then?” Asked Peter, ‘if you really think he’s that bad, are you going to see him again?’

‘Well, I said I would, I mean, what was I supposed to say? ‘Sorry I know we’re each other’s one and only but I think you’re actually a complete idiot so I guess the universe fucked up on this one?’

‘Did he believe in soulmates and the universe and all that shit?” Remus’ question this time.

‘Oh yeah. Big time.’ Lily groaned. ‘He seemed like he’d be a complete hopeless romantic if he wasn’t so _stupid_.’

‘So he liked you?”

‘God, yeah he liked me alright. Wouldn’t stop talking about my eyes and my hair and my smile, he used all these stupid metaphors.’ Seeming overwhelmed by her apparent soulmate’s idiocy, she rubbed her hands over face and replaced her head’s position on the desk.

‘I mean, he seems kind of sweet.’ Peter dared to venture.

‘Don’t you even dare, he sucked, he completely sucked, and now I have to see him again. Ugh, out of all the people of this godforsaken earth, why did it have to be him?’ Neither of her friends seemed to have an answer for this and Lily remained in a woeful mood for the rest of the day.

\---

The next time Lily was supposed to meet up with James Last-name-still-to-be-determined was Wednesday afternoon and Remus waited eagerly for her to text him with an update. He was almost surprised by how much he wanted this to work out for her. It’s not like he even thought that they had to be together and from what Lily had described he did really sound like a dickhead but she had been so excited when she thought she’d found her soulmate, even if she didn’t previously believe they were a real thing, and he really wanted her to be happy. He knew better than to hope too hard though, it took a lot to get Lily to change her mind about anything. And (although he wouldn’t let himself entertain this thought for very long) maybe if her whole soulmate thing _did_ work out, his would have a chance of happening too.

lilyy_evanns17, 5:17: big news !!!

remus.lpn, 5:19: he’s actually a really great guy and you love him now???

lilyy_evanns17, 5:19: no james isn’t important rn

remus.lpn, 5:20: he isn’t?

lilyy_evanns17, 5:20: nope his friend is important though

lilyy_evanns17, 5:20: his friend SIRIUS

Seen: 5:21

Lily wasn’t just pointing out James’ friend because of the weird name, the constellation on Remus’ hand wasn’t just any pattern of stars, it was Canis Major, with the boldest star being Sirius, the Dog Star. Ever since seeing a picture of the constellation in science class in year eight, Lily and Peter had entertained the idea that Remus’ ‘soulmate’ was called Sirius (after deciding that ‘Canis Major’ just couldn’t be a person’s name no matter which way you looked at it) even though Remus devoutly stood by his decision that nobody would name their child Sirius (his friends had aptly pointed out that his name was _Remus_ so that was pretty hypocritical) and also soulmates were stupid and also the stars didn’t even mean anything so they should both just shut up and stop talking about it.

And this Sirius guy she was talking about didn’t mean anything either. He repeated this to himself in his head a couple of times and then out loud a couple of times, forcing it to sink in. It did not. Because what if it did? Nope. How many people would be called that? Hundreds probably. Maybe he should just give it a chance. No, he absolutely should not because it’s a load of rubbish; Lily’s failing relationship was proof enough of that.

lilyy_evanns17, 5:26: remus ???

lilyy_evanns17, 5:28: are you seeing this ??

lilyy_evanns17, 5:30: seriously this is the guy !! answer me it’s important !!

lilyy_evanns17, 5:30: ha get it, siriusly

lilyy_evanns17, 5:30: wow I’m so funny

lilyy_evanns17, 5:31: unlike you, freaking answer me !!

Remus’ stomach was doing things that body parts should not be able to do, his mind felt all clogged up, even though he wasn’t sure why because all of this was bullshit that he shouldn’t be paying any attention to. He traced the stars on the back of his hand again, they didn’t feel any other than what they’d always felt, smooth, exactly the same texture as his skin. Shouldn’t something be happening now? Shouldn’t something feel different? Of course it fucking shouldn’t because nothing was different, all that had happened was Lily meeting some random guy who knew some other random guy who meant literally nothing. So why was his stomach tied in very complex knots right now?

remus.lpn, 5:53: okay?? so what, its just some random guy

lilyy_evanns17, 5:53: you have got to be kidding me

remus.lpn, 5:56: ??? just cause he has the name you seem to think is my ‘soulmate’s’ name doesn’t mean you’ve made some big discovery

lilyy_evanns17, 5:56: his symbol is 87 Sylvia

lilyy_evanns17, 5:56: with remus in bold

remus.lpn, 6:05: I hate you

Seen: 6:05

pete.pg 6:10: lily told me she found sirius??

Seen: 6:15

pete.pg, 6:15: remus!!!!!!

Seen, 6:15

Remus hated himself for not being able to sleep that night.

\---

‘I can get you his Instagram.’ Lily informed Remus the next day, considerably cheered up from her date at the prospect of Remus going on one.

‘Cool, I don’t want it.’ Remus grumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich.

‘You seriously don’t want to talk to him at all? C’mon, even if you don’t believe in soulmates, what’s the harm in just seeing what he’s like?’ Peter, also present at their lunch table, pressed. ‘

The harm is that I don’t want you guys to go getting your hopes up, I probably won’t even like him. If he’s friends with James and James is an asshole then he probably is too.’

‘You don’t want to get our hopes up or you don’t want to get _your_ hopes up?’ Peter said.

‘Yours! I don’t have hopes.’

‘Okay fine, you can just live your whole life never knowing if you could have met your soulmate then.’ Lily looked smug.

‘One, I know I’m not going to meet my soulmate cause they aren’t a real thing. Two, you met your soulmate and you hate him so you’re not one to talk.’

‘Yeah, speaking of that, can you actually tell us how that date went?” Peter asked Lily.

‘Ugh, I mean I don’t know, I guess I don’t _hate_ him, he kind of has potential to be a good guy? Like when he was talking about Sirius I could tell he really cared about him.’

‘So maybe you just need to get to know him a little better?’ Remus suggested.

‘Maybe… I really cannot imagine myself falling in love with this guy though, like yeah okay maybe he loves his friends, and maybe he has this infectious energy that makes me buzz, and maybe he’s really very good looking-‘

‘Hmm, correct me if I’m wrong but it doesn’t exactly sound like he’s all bad.’

Lily glared at Remus. ‘Yeah but apart from those _few_ things -and maybe a couple others- he’s like really, really bad. I don’t like him.’

Remus and Peter raised their eyebrows at her. ‘I don’t!’

\---

Lily was seeing James again on Sunday after her volunteering shift. A shift that she spent running over all the pros and cons of James Potter. Her lists, unfortunately turned out relatively equal (yes the fact that his hair was all messy and far too cute to be allowed _is_ a con) which left her mind feeling like a broken jigsaw puzzle. After first meeting James, her hopes of true love had been dashed and she had resigned herself to her long held belief that ‘the one’ just wasn’t meant to be. But now she found herself in a far more complicated situation, because wasn’t your soulmate supposed to be someone you fell in love with instantaneously? Not someone who you had weird, mixed feelings about and really could not decide if your brain was telling you the right things or not. In any case, it seemed like the love at first sight thing had worked out for James. He was clearly completely besotted with her already, which, while it outwardly got on her nerves, she was really quite chuffed about.

‘Hi.’ She said as she sat down across from him, for the third time, stoutly refusing to act like she was excited to see him because of course she wasn’t, despite what her thumping heart was trying to tell her. She was right on time but had found that James was always early.

‘Hey!’ Enthusiastic as always, ‘how has your weekend been?’

‘Fine. Yours?’ He didn’t answer, just looked shiftily down at the table. ‘James?’

‘I feel like you don’t like me very much.’ Lily wasn’t sure of what exactly she had wanted to achieve by behaving outwardly cold towards James but upon his acknowledgement of it, she found disappointment was not it.

‘Oh. Well. You’re kind of arrogant…and annoying…and just generally dickheadish.’ Was that too harsh?

He looked confusedly at her for a second, adjusting his glasses. ‘Oh. Well you didn’t need to be so subtle about it.’ God, she was supposed to hate this guy, so why was she feeling so bad about hurting his feelings? She usually couldn’t care less about calling out the guys at school.

‘I mean, I don’t hate you or anything, there’s actually a lot of things I like about you, I’m sure you’re a good guy.’ She was rambling. How was he making her ramble? No one was supposed to be able to make her ramble. ‘Like I made this pros and cons list this morning and it was really pretty much half and-‘

‘Hold up a second.’ James stopped her. ‘You made a _list_?’ Lily’s body temperature was so high she was surprised her blood wasn’t at boiling point. ‘Did I say list? I meant I just casually thought about it. Y’know. Like a normal person.’

‘Uh huh. So hypothetically, if there was a list, which of course there isn’t, how equal would my good and bad qualities be exactly?”

If he really wanted answers from her, why did he keep looking at her with those _eyes_ and with that _smile_ , it made it near impossible to form actual syllables. ‘Um, it might have been slightly in your favour.’

He smiled a cocky and far too charming smile. ‘But only slightly.’

‘Hmm, and you know what? I’m not even going to ask what it is you like about me, because that would be arrogant.’

‘I think it’s arrogant of you not to think you’re arrogant.’

His expression turned more earnest. ‘No, I get it, I’m genuinely trying to work on it. Seriously, I appreciate you calling me out, keep doing that.’ Nope, nope, nope. Now he was being pretty _and_ nice. Neither Lily’s brain or heart could take it, she supposed her organs would shut down fairly soon. ‘And I would really love if this whole soulmate thing worked out, because, God is it weird if I say how completely taken I am with you? I know we’ve only met a couple of times but I really feel like you’re _it_ y’know?’ He was tapping his fingers on the table, faster and faster as he spoke. ‘Oh no, I’m sorry that was too much, I mean I just really like you but if you really don’t want to be with me it’s-‘

‘James.’ Lily prevented him from going on a similar tangent to the one she had just been on. ‘I want this to work out too. I think there really could be as much to this soulmate thing as everyone says. I’m not in love with you already or anything but I can’t seem to stop myself from liking you a whole lot, no matter how much I tell myself you’re an idiot.’ He was full on beaming; Lily could see just how much he liked her in that one movement. ‘I mean don’t get me wrong you’re an idiot, but a really cute idiot.’

And when she took his hand across the table, a hundred candles lit up inside of her, she felt the happiest warmth she had ever felt and she knew this was it, the one, her real, actual soulmate.

\---

Remus couldn’t stop thinking about Sirius and it was really getting on his nerves. The name buzzed around his mind all day and into the night, all week, repeating to him over and over again that it could really mean something. He couldn’t admit to himself how much he wanted this to be real; it wasn’t something he was supposed to want. But the idea of loving someone and someone loving him made him feel warm and alive and _happy_. Still, he wouldn’t let himself get his hopes up, it would only end in disappointment and then he would just feel worse than before. Finding a soulmate and being in love was for other people, people with different lives and different personalities, Remus had resigned himself to that fact a long time ago and some boy with a name made of stars was not about to change that now. No matter how much he wanted it or how much his heart ached for it.

\---

prongs_potter, 9:14: we have to do something about this sirius/remus situation

lilyy_evanns17, 9:14: I knOW

lilyy_evanns17, 9:15: remus refuses to talk to him for some stupid reason??

prongs_potter, 9:15: kjlasfj sirius wants to message him but not if he doesn’t want to

lilyy_evanns17, 9:15: remus won’t budge from his ‘its society putting ideas in our heads’ stance

prongs_potter, 9:16: not to dis your friend, but why??? it clearly works, surely he would know a ton of people who’ve found their soulmate

lilyy_evanns17, 9:16: I think he just doesn’t want to get his hopes up

lilyy_evanns17, 9:16: or maybe he genuinely thinks its bullshit

prongs_potter, 9:17: oh, seems pretty pessimistic

lilyy_evanns17, 9:17: ik but he’s wrong bc his soulmate is right in front of him, we just need to convince him of it

prongs_potter, 9:20: okay I have an idea

\---

‘So are you madly in love now or what?’ Remus asked of Lily on Monday, taking the window seat in the library next to her in their free the next day.

‘No.’

‘So that’s why you keep drawing him on your biology notes?’ Remus angled the paper towards himself, smiling.

‘What?’ Lily’s cheeks reddened as she realised what she had been subconsciously doing. ‘No that’s not him, it’s just some…guy.’

‘Cool. You’re pretty fantastic at lying, you know that?’

‘Of course I am. I wasn’t getting anywhere with these anyway,’ she said, holding up the notebook paper filled with her neat, precise handwriting.

‘Tell me about it, I haven’t even started studying.'

Lily got a glint in her eye and smiled. ‘Maybe we could go to Boyet’s after school to work on it?’

‘You’re that excited about schoolwork huh?’

‘What? No?’ She quickly turned back to her notes, ‘I’m nothing.’

\---

Boyet’s was a vegan coffee shop a few streets away from their school and Remus and Lily, along with about half of the student body, were regulars there, not only for its close proximity but also for the insanely good coffee. Remus took a sip of his while he waited for Lily to join him; she had had to talk to her sister before meeting him there after school. So that’s why his body was getting all warm and tingly right? Just the really good latte. Except, upon glancing up, he choked on his drink, coffee spilling onto the table because the guy standing in front of him was too freaking attractive to be allowed on this earth. And he was looking right at Remus, which really did not help matters. Remus stood up, sat down again and grabbed as many napkins as he could to wipe down the table while still attempting to maintain a cool and casual demeanour. It was hard to focus on these things while his body felt on the brink of exploding though.

‘Um. Remus?’ What the heck? This guy knew his name?

Remus coughed and tried to regain composure. ‘Uh yeah?’

The person in front of him let out a sigh, smiling. ‘Oh my god, it is you.’

That’s when Remus noticed the symbol on his hand. 87 Sylvia. Well. This didn’t quite feel real. ‘I’m assuming you’re Sirius?’ It felt like a miracle that he could form words. His body was going into overdrive, but in way that felt right.

‘The one and only.’ Sirius grinned. ‘Can I sit?’

‘Oh uh yeah of course um.’ Remembering the incident from no more than thirty seconds ago, Remus, tried again to clean the table, feeling slightly nauseated from embarrassment. Great first impression to make on your soulmate. _Soulmate_. No that couldn’t be right. The feeling in his chest begged to differ.

‘Its fine, don’t worry about it.’ Sirius said, taking a seat. ‘I guess you’re feeling the same way I am?’

‘If the way you’re feeling is like hundreds of fireworks are going off in your chest then yes.’ Was that a normal thing to say to someone you just met?”

‘Yeah, that sounds about right.’ Sirius confirmed. Remus remembered then, the actual reason he was there, which was definitely not to meet someone who made him feel like this. ‘Wait, Lily said…oh.’

Sirius smiling in the way he did then was really not helping the fireworks situation. ‘I suppose James and Lily think they’re very clever for this one. It’s not even a very creative plan.’

‘So you didn’t know I was going to be here either?”

‘Nope. That isn’t to say I didn’t want to meet you though, I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.’ Something changed on Sirius’ face; he rose a little from his chair. ‘And I still don’t, I can leave now if you-‘

The idea of Sirius leaving was almost horrific to Remus. ‘No, no, you don’t have to, it’s fine, its good.’

Sirius seemed relieved. ‘You don’t really think I’m your soulmate though?”

This was the question that had turned Remus’ brain into crossed wires. Soulmates weren’t supposed to exist, at least not in his mind, but this whole thing, it was exactly the kind of experience Lily had described, that everyone he knew who had met their soulmate had described. Could that really only be coincidence? The rational part of Remus’ mind said no, the part that wanted to cling to the ideas he was used to tried to fight it. Looking at Sirius’ face added a hundred points to the rational side, making it far too difficult to brush away.

‘I- I mean, I’m not saying you’re _not_.’

‘Can I ask why you’re not convinced?’ If he really thought about, Remus knew his disbelief in soulmates wasn’t just because it sounded like an implausible idea. He knew it clearly worked for anyone who managed find their match, there was evidence for that everywhere he looked. There was another reason for his incredulity but it wasn’t exactly something one would share with a stranger. Sirius already didn’t feel like a stranger though. Remus gulped. ‘I guess I find it hard to believe that someone could really fit with me in that way. It doesn’t seem possible for someone to love me that much or want to be with me for their whole life.’

Sirius’ eyes took on a shade of sincerity, he looked like he wanted to wrap his arms around Remus and hold him there. ‘Shit, yeah, I get that.’

Remus stared at him, unbelievingly. ‘You do? But you’re all-‘ he waved his hand in front of him in hopes of signalling just all that Sirius was that he wasn’t.

‘Yeah and you’re all-‘ Sirius mimicked Remus’ action in hopes of signalling just how much Remus was. ‘I understand feeling like you’re not worth other people’s affection, before I met James, I felt like that all the time. I can tell you think it’s irrational to feel like that and it is, but that’s not going to stop it.’

Something shifted in Remus’ heart and he felt more understood than he had ever felt in his life. ‘Yeah.’ He nodded; a tiny movement. ‘Yeah, that’s exactly it.’

‘I think it’s just a matter of meeting the right person.’ Sirius continued.

‘And I think I might have met them.’ Remus breathed.

Sirius face lit up brighter than the star he was named after. ‘Don’t you realise I’m going to physically melt if you say stuff like that?’

It was Remus’ turn to grin ‘So you’re not offended that I didn’t believe in your existence?’

‘No, I’m just so glad we did get to meet. I know we’ve only said like twelve sentences to each other, but I already think you’re pretty freaking amazing.’

Talking to Sirius felt like all the broken parts of Remus were joining together. ‘Well thank god our friends meddled with our relationship huh?’

‘Mm, speaking of our friends, I think they’ve been watching our whole interaction from outside.’

Remus followed his gaze to see that indeed, James and Lily were outside, desperately trying to look inconspicuous as if they weren’t standing there in broad daylight. Sirius gestured for them to come in and buried his face in his hands, laughing. ‘They’re such idiots.’

Lily and James joined them at their table, holding hands and looking entirely too pleased with themselves. ‘So, Remus, I think I deserve a thank you.’ Lily said.

‘I think _we_ deserve a thank you.’ James corrected.

Remus had never met James before but he could already tell that he was going to like him. Lily was right, his energy was infectious.

‘You’re right, we’re masterminds.’ Lily high-fived him.

‘You are seriously not as smart as you think.’ Sirius told them. ‘You think getting us to meet here was a really complex plan?’

‘It was a good enough plan.’ James said. ‘Anyway, Remus, what an absolute pleasure to meet you, my brother here has been pining over you for days.’ His eyes sparkled and Remus’ stomach started spinning.

‘Hey!’ Sirius sounded indignant.

‘Oh, it’s okay Sirius, you’re allowed to pine over your soulmate.’

‘You know as much as he’d deny it, I think Remus has been doing his fair share of pining too.’ Lily said.

‘Now that’s just not fair.’ Although Remus realised that wasn’t completely untrue.

Lily noticed his blushing. ‘Well aren’t you two just adorable?’

‘Uh I think you’re talking about yourself and James.’

The four of them had only known each other for a few days but everything about them felt so right to Remus that it was difficult to imagine how he survived previously without them. An emptiness had been filled that he didn’t even know was there.

James and Lily dragged over chairs and as they sat together Remus felt a string tying himself to Sirius and Lily one tying herself to James that had been there their whole lives but they were only now becoming aware of. They wondered how they could have missed them before. These people had slotted perfectly into place, right where they were needed. So maybe not all soulmates were found in the same picture perfect, storybook way. Maybe you didn’t have to fall in love with them at first sight or all at once or realise that they were there at all. Maybe falling in love took time even with the person you were meant to be with. None of them were in love yet but they knew they would be. It was written in the stars and the moon and the flowers and every atom of the universe.


End file.
